1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to police batons or night sticks and is specifically directed to an extendable baton.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Extendable police batons or night sticks are known in the art. Typically, the baton is designed to be of a reduced or collapsible length when in the collapsed or retracted position, permitting a police officer to more easily carry or stow the baton than the one piece wand batons. Under certain circumstances, it is desirable to expand the baton to an extended length to facilitate certain police activities such as, by way of example, holding back crowds of people or to ward off an attacker or other person without having to approach too closely to him.
Examples of extendable batons are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 27,335 issued to J. L. Rowe on Feb. 28, 1860; U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,930 issued to Y. Shiga on Mar. 5, 1968 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,839 issued to N. C. Nelson on Jul. 26, 1977. The Rowe patent discloses an extendable baton having a solid core with a hollow tubular outer shell which may be extended and retracted along the longitudinal axis of the hollow cylindrical core to extend or collapse the baton. An elongate leaf spring is provided on the sleeve and includes a detent button which engages an annular stop provided on the core for holding the baton in the retracted position. The Shiga patent discloses a telescoping baton comprising a plurality of nested hollow tubular members which are movable between a fully nested retracted position and a fully extended, expanded position. Detent buttons are provided on the telescoping members and project outwardly beyond the end wall of the adjacent member, when the baton is extended, for locking the baton in the fully extended position. The baton members include rings at their abutting ends to define positive stops. Shiga also shows an inwardly projecting detent-type lock which protrudes outwardly from the baton and is spring-loaded and self-actuated to permit collapse of the telescoping member. The Nelson patent discloses a telescoping baton, wherein an elongate compression spring is housed within the telescoping members and is designed to bias the baton into the fully extended position when a locking release is disengaged to release the baton from its nested, retracted condition.
As extendable batons have become generally accepted in police use, certain disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art batons have surfaced. For example, batons have to be of rigid construction and are required to provide a rigid assembly when both in the nested and the expanded positions. However, the batons have to be easy to retract without applying a substantial axial force, possibly damaging adjacent surfaces when attempting to contract the baton. For example, extendable batons have achieved limited success with the Coast Guard due to the necessity to provide an axial blow on the tip of the baton in order to retract it and break the wedge locking means of taper type batons. This type of configuration does not lend itself well to shipboard use.